


𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫

by bowens



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV), hsmtmts - Fandom
Genre: F/M, hsmtmts, ninisalazar-roberts, rickybowen, rini - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:49:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21599656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowens/pseuds/bowens
Summary: my interpretation of what I’d like to see happen between rini during episode four of hsmtmts
Relationships: Rini
Comments: 4
Kudos: 100





	𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫

Using his left foot to stop the skateboard he was currently balancing on, Ricky sighs as he bends down to pick it up, tucking his most prized possession safely under his arm whilst jogging up his front porch steps. He opens the door, the familiar smell of clean sheets and burning lavender welcoming him like a warm hug. He bops his head along to the music that was currently streaming through his earphones while untying his shoelaces and taking off his favourite denim jacket. 

From all the way in the kitchen, Rickys dad calls, "Son? That you?". 

Ricky takes off his shoes before making his way into the kitchen, passing the large mirror that hangs on the hallway wall. His nose is tinted red as well as his cheeks, it's getting colder out there. 

"Hey dad" the teenage boy greets, his body moving in the direction of the fridge almost like muscle memory, probably because it's one of the first things Ricky does every day upon arriving home after school. 

"Hi kiddo. You're gonna have to miss out on going to the skate park today, we're having a family meal" His dad informs him as he stirs whatever stew he's currently cooking up. 

Creasing his eyebrows from confusion, Ricky twists his mouth in thought. Family dinner? They haven't had a proper family meal since his mom left for Chicago. The only meals Ricky and his dad have been having for the past few months have been from the pizza parlour a couple blocks away. 

The boy barely had any time to question his dad before the front door open door again, a small ruckus followed closely behind. 

Ricky glances over at his dad who's eyes are now filled with a nervous glaze. He moves away from the stove, wiping his sweaty hands on his washed out jeans. 

"A little help please" an all too familiar voice calls from the hallway. Rickys feet move him faster than he thought was possible towards the door, a surprised smile appearing on his face when he sees his mom, struggling to carry in her suitcases. 

"Mom!" He beams, racing towards her. With little to no effort- Ricky grabs the suitcases, shoving them off to the side before pulling her in for a bear hug, the two of them swaying from side to side a little as they both wear large smiles. 

"Oh my baby! I missed you" she mumbles, her head resting on Rickys shoulder. "You grew!". 

The two laugh at her comment, unwrapping from each other. Ricky stares at her a little longer, can't quite believing that she's finally home. 

The tension rises a little when Rickys dad steps into the room, his parents having a stare off, small forced smiles tugging on their lips. Choosing to ignore it, Ricky continues to help his mom into the living room, asking her questions about Chicago as he does. 

Ricky washes up for dinner. He changes into grey sweatpants and his red school hoodie with "east" written in white block letters. He grabs his phone off of his bed, replying to Carlos' text about rehearsals tomorrow and then makes his way back downstairs, slowing down on the last few steps when he hears his parents hushed voices talking about something he can't quite make out. 

"Ricky! Come and set the table" his mom calls, making her way out into the hallway. 

Ricky turns the corner as she's about to, almost causing them to bump into each other. 

"Oh my god, you gave me a heart attack!" She yells, swatting him playfully with one hand while her other rests on her chest. 

Ricky laughs it off, making his way into the conjoined dining room that he hasn't sat in for months. He used to use the table as a desk to do homework before his dad built him one in his bedroom and they used to eat meals in their all the time but things changed when Rickys mom got promoted at work and had to travel for meetings ect so she was never home to eat with them. 

He starts by setting out the place mats, glasses, and silverware. Ricky always loved doing everything a specific way. He loved creating new sculptures with the napkins, ranging from swans the those fancy ones that look almost like hats. It was his specialty when he was younger and the whole family would be in awe with him at thanksgiving dinner. After everything is all set out perfectly just like he likes it to be, Ricky calls his parents in. 

They come in together, holding the dishes of food. Ricky takes the mash potatoes from his mom, setting the platter in the centre of the table. He smiles as his dad helps his mom with the rest, finding it nice that they're acting like a family again. But that was also the issue. That they were acting.

The conversation flows naturally after they say grace. Ricky got so used to not saying it whilst his mom was away that he almost, almost, forgot the prayer. His dad catches his mom up on all that's been happening around the house while she's been gone and Ricky tells her everything about the play, school, and all things Ricky related. He purposely leaves out the small detail that he only auditioned for the play in an attempt to get Nini back though. 

"This is really nice dad, where'd you learn to cook?" Ricky jokes, his dad rolling his eyes in response. 

Rickys mom looks between the two in confusion. She puts her knife and fork down, tilting her head a little to the side. 

"What do you mean? You eat your fathers food every day" she says, noticing the shifting glance Ricky and his dad share at her words. "Don't you?". 

Ricky opens his mouth to explain but his dad gestures with his hand for him to not say anything. He wipes his mouth with the swan napkin, Ricky watching as he crumples it into a ball. 

"Since you've been gone, Ricky and I haven't really been having much home cooked meals. Our schedules seem to clash a lot and I'm either home from work late or he had rehearsal till a certain time-" 

"So what have you been feeding our son?" She asks, her tone implying that she's annoyed. 

Ricky shakes his head subtly from across the table. He can't believe that he's ruined things. Eveything was going so well and then he had to open his mouth and mess everything up. 

"We've had Italian most nights, Sushi and Chinese's sometimes too. It been a good selection actually, very cultural" Ricky inputs, earning himself a glare from both of his parents. He takes that as his cue to shut up. 

"You've had our son living off of pizza and pot stickers for the past three months?" Rickys mom yells, furious at the thought. 

"Mom it's really not a big deal, I love pizza" Rickys chimes in once more. 

"Well you weren't exactly here to provide him with freshly prepared gourmet meals were you? He yells back.

The two of them are staring at each other and if looks could kill, they'd both be 6ft under. 

"That's low! Even for you. If I could be here then I would be" she argues, throwing her crumpled napkin onto her plate. 

"You could have been here weeks ago but you weren't" His dad snarls, standing up from the table. 

"Guys I really think this has been blown out of proportion, it's only pizza" Ricky sighs, watching the argument continue into the kitchen. 

"Well excuse me for wanting to have better opportunities that will benefit my family" His mom responds, placing her hands on her hips as his dad drops the dishes into the sink. 

"Yeah well whatever you're excuse is, you still weren't here so don't come back and think that you can be mad at me for the way I chose to raise my son while you walked out for three months". 

The kitchen goes silent after that. Rickys dad squeezes his eyes closed, instantly regretting the words that spewed out of his mouth. His mom gaps, her eyes filling with tears from anger not sadness. Ricky stands in the doorway, looking down at the ground. He can't chose sides because his dad had a point but his mom did it for the right reason. Ricky can't help but hate pizza at this very moment. He fucking hates it. 

"I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore. I want a divorce". 

Rickys head whips up, his eyes glazing over and his mouth hanging open. He looks over at his dad, waiting for him to protest and fight for his marriage but he stays silent. 

Finally opening his eyes, his dad lets out a sigh and nods his head, agreeing. "Me too". 

Ricky feels like the wind has been knocked out of him when he realises whats happening. His family is falling apart. They're tearing apart. They're getting a divorce? He knows things have been rough lately but they really don't love each other anymore? Why? Was it his fault? Did he do something wrong? 

Finding the energy to move, Ricky pushes past his mom, ignoring her calls as he slips on his shoes and coat before taking his skateboard and exiting the house. Blood rushes to his cheeks, the sound of his heartbeat pounding is all he can hear as he skates down the street, tears spilling from his eyes without any warning. Before her really knows it, he's standing outside of Nini's house, a heartbroken look on his face and red puffy eyes. 

He realises that he shouldn't be there, that Nini would just get mad at him and tell EJ that he's now stalking her. 

Ricky turns to leave and comes face to face with one of Nini's moms, Carol, holding a brown paper bag full of groceries and a surprised look on her face that morphs into a concerned one when she sees the state, that the boy that she's found herself grow fond of, is in. 

"Oh Ricky, what's happened?" She soothes, pulling him in for a hug. Ricky towers above her slightly but nevertheless allows himself to be comforted by her. Carol was always nice to Ricky when he and Nini were still dating. He thinks of her as a mother figure. 

"My parents" he chokes. "They're uh, getting divorced". 

Hearing himself say it out loud confirms his worst fears. Ricky swallows the lump in his throat, unwilling to get to a certain extent of upset in front of Nini's mom. 

Carol doesn't say anything but instead pulls away from him, reaching into her coat pocket and bringing out a tissue. She wipes his stained cheeks, ridding them of the lingering tears. 

"Let's get you inside yeah? Some tea and a slice of chocolate cake always makes me feel better" Carol suggests, knowing that there isn't really anything that will actually make him feel better at this moment in time. 

Ricky opens his mouth to object but she cuts him off. 

"Nini isn't home and it's my house remember? I can have guests over if I want" she smiles, putting her arm around the tall boy as she makes her way inside. 

Ricky and Carol drink their tea and eat their chocolate cake whilst watching re run episodes of The Office. It was their thing before he and Nini broke up. Whenever she had homework to do, Ricky and Carol would sit downstairs and watch the show together. It was comforting to Ricky, being back in a home he'd always loved being in. 

"Why don't you stay the night huh? Give things time to settle and your parents some space to cool off. I'll call your dad and let him know and I'm sure Lorraine and Nini won't mind" Carol smiles. She's missed having Ricky around and she wants him to be happy, being around his parents right now maybe isn't the best idea for him. 

Rickys smile returns naturally at the suggestion. He's so thankful to have Carol still be such an important person in his life despite his relationship with Nini no longer being a thing. 

"I wouldn't want to impose honestly and Nini isn't my biggest fan right now, i don't want to upset her" Ricky explains, putting his cup on the table. 

"You won't be! And leave Nini to me. I know how you feel about my daughter Ricky, even if you don't know how to acknowledge it yet. I know" she tells him, taking their plates into the kitchen, leaving Ricky behind with nothing but his thoughts .

She knows?

Carol sent Ricky upstairs to get ready for bed. He left basketball shorts and several hoodies at their house and Nini forgot to give them back. 

The front door opens and closes, a defeated looking Nini steps into her living room, confused when she sees her mom making up a bed on the couch. She jumps to quick conclusions that she and her mom had a fight but why would they be fighting? ... And then she sees the pair of hightop shoes she's saw a thousand times before. 

"Mom? Who's are these?" She asks, already knowing the answer. Anger boils inside of her quickly, she doesn't even want to know why Rickys here she just wants him gone. 

"Rickys....." her mom trails off cautiously, expecting the reaction she was fearing. She puts the pillow down and tucks the comforter into the sides. 

Nini shakes her head in disbelief, hearing the toilet door opening and rushing upstairs. She doesn't listen as her mom calls after her. She's determined to yell at her ex for taking everything a step too far. 

"Really Ricky?" She spits, "it's not enough for you to harass me at school, you're now doing it at my house? We aren't getting back together so you may as well stop while you still have your dignity". Her face is red with anger, his is flashed with hurt. 

"That's why you think I'm here? Well I'm not. I'm not here because I want us to get back together. I'm here because your mom invited me stay" he explains, his voice hoarse. 

"And why would she do that?" Nini snaps. 

"Because my parents are getting a divorce" he mumbles just above a whisper but loud enough for her to hear. 

Nini's features soften. She feels awful for reacting in such an asshole way. Rickys parents are all the family he really has. She had no idea that there was problems at home. She feels like a complete idiot. 

The sudden urge to reach out to the boy surprises her but she does it nonetheless. Ricky tenses up as Nini wraps her arms around his waist, her head resting on his chest. He softens after a moment, adjusting the the familiarity. He's missed holding her and not in any specific way other than to just hold her and be close to her, his best friend. He's missed her. And she's missed him. 

Rickys first to pull away, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable, all things considered. 

He smiles appreciatively, "I'll go, if me being here is an inconvenience. I don't want to make you upset or uncomfortable in your own house" he rambles, shifting his weight. 

Nini shakes her head, dismissing her previous thoughts of wanting him gone. She feels obliged to be there for him right now after the dick move she pulled only moments ago. She wants to comfort him. It's like a natural feeling that she's surprisingly okay with. 

"Why don't we do puzzles? We don't have to talk about your parents if you don't want to but the option is there" Nini tells him, grabbing his arm softly and tugging him towards her bedroom. 

He smiles softly, nodding his head. His parents are a touchy subject but the puzzle idea sounds fun. He loves doing jigsaws and Nini has the best collection of them. 

Her bedroom hasn't changed much since the last time he was inside of it. The last time isn't his favourite memory for obvious reasons. Her fairy lights are still hung up and there's pictures scattered around the room. The ones of them together aren't up anymore except maybe one or two which doesn't surprise Ricky, he really broke her heart. 

"Here" Nini says, handing him a box with an image of puppies on the front. "It's the jigsaw you could never complete" she teases, taking a seat on her bed. 

He rolls his eyes at her, causing the small girl to laugh, she always did find pleasure in mocking his inability to figure out the easiest of tasks. 

"Very funny" he mumbles, emptying the contents of the box onto her carpet. Ricky sits with his legs in a basket, all his concentration on the puzzle. 

Nini watches him silently, smiling when he beams whenever a piece fits correctly. It's a small victory but still one worth celebrating especially when he gets the last piece and finally completes it, washing away Nini's smug comment from earlier about him never being able to do it before. 

"Who's laughing now huh?" He laughs, Nini shoving his head with her hand. He starts to put all the pieces back into the box, taking another one and starting to put those together. 

Deciding that she's had enough of history homework, Nini puts her textbooks away. She stands up and takes a seat opposite of Ricky on the floor. She too takes a puzzle and starts to put the pieces together. 

He looks up to find her already looking at him with a soft expression. He gets butterflies and has no idea how to contain them. She has them too but she's grown to learn how to push them down, stopping them from letting loose. 

"Ricky? How come you never told me you're parents were fighting?" She asks, treading carefully. 

The question doesn't bother Ricky or if it did, he isn't letting it show at least. 

"Things between us were complicated. It only got really bad when my mom left for Chicago and she didn't want to come back. Dad always made up an excuse for her until he got tired of it and told me that she didn't want to come home because he was there". 

Nini's heart breaks for him. She couldn't imagine how she'd feel if her parents didn't love each other anymore. It would ruin her. 

"I don't know Nini, I cant help but feel it's my fault. If I had been a better son or did something different-" 

"Hey no!" Nini cuts him off, her tone stern and expression tense. "Don't you dare blame this on yourself. Ricky your parents fell out of love, it happens unfortunately. It's something we can't control but they still love you okay? You did nothing wrong. You're amazing. They know that. I know that". 

They share a longing look. It's the same one that they used to share a long time ago. 

"I'm sorry Nini" Ricky blurts out. 

She sighs softly. "I know." 

Nini reaches over and grabs his hand, squeezing it before releasing her grip and putting her hand in the air. 

"Friends?" She questions, waiting for him to high five her. 

He smiles, a dorky smile. 

"Friends" he confirms, connection their hands. 

Their fingers intertwine. Fitting together perfectly like the pieces from the puzzles. 

Nini reaches for her phone, Ricky continuing with his jigsaw. 

"Wanna order some pizza?". 

"NO!". 

T h e E n d

**Author's Note:**

> this is for fun, I’m not a professional writer   
don’t me mean PLEASE I’m sensitive 👉🏻👈🏻🥺


End file.
